Morris Davis
Real Name: Morris Vernon Davis Jr. Nicknames: Bear Location: Great Falls, Montana Date: April 5, 1985 Case Details: At approximately 11PM on the evening of April 5, 1985, Great Falls paramedics Ed Day and Cliff Davis received a call to report to the scene of a shooting. As they got closer to the address, they learned that it was a multiple gunshot wound incident. When they arrived, officers told them that the victim was seriously injured and possibly not breathing. As they entered the house, Cliff was horrified to discover that the victim was his twenty-three-year-old brother Morris. After getting over the initial shock, he helped bring his brother into the ambulance. As they drove to the hospital, Cliff repeatedly checked back on Morris as officers performed CPR. Sadly, their attempts to save him were unsuccessful; Morris was pronounced dead on arrival at a local hospital. He had been shot more than eight times. The apparent motive was robbery. Disturbingly, the killer's take was less than $300. Four months before his death, Morris took a job as a part-time pizza delivery man. On the night he was killed, he made a delivery to a local home and had no idea he was walking into a lethal trap. Police believe that earlier that evening, the killer selected a vacant house and removed the For Sale sign from the front yard. The perpetrator then forced his way into the home through the back door. The order for the pizza was placed by telephone to Howard's Pizza at 8:34PM. There was no phone service to the house, so the call was believed to have been made from a nearby pay phone. Fifteen minutes later, the pizza was ready; Morris was the next available driver. At approximately 9:15PM, he left on what was to be his last delivery. Police believe he was killed as he walked through the front door of the home. The only item the killer took was Morris's delivery wallet. Investigators were certain that the motive was robbery, but they had no suspects or murder weapon. Three years later, investigators received an unexpected break in the case. On May 11, 1988, in a town 180 miles from Great Falls, a man was arrested for driving a car that was reported stolen in Oregon three days earlier. When officers searched the man, they found two receipts issued earlier that day from a Great Falls pawn shop. One of the receipts was for a .22 caliber pistol that had also been reported stolen. Investigators located the gun at the pawn shop, and ballistics testing determined that it was the gun that killed Morris. Investigators learned that the man who had been arrested had stolen the gun from a friend in Oregon three days earlier. The man who was arrested was cleared of any involvement in the homicide. "Rick", the gun's owner, also denied any involvement in the case and claimed that he had an alibi. At the time of the murder, he was taking care of his newborn son. He claimed that he kept the gun in his hall closet under several blankets. According to him, only he and his wife knew where the gun was located. Investigators looked into Rick's background and alibi. They do not believe he was involved in the murder. However, they have not been able to determine who took the gun from Rick's house, killed Morris, and returned it without his knowledge. Investigators have few clues and no suspects in the case, which remains unsolved. Suspects: Police are certain that robbery was the motive for Morris's murder. The murder weapon was identified as one being found at a pawn shop. The gun's owner was located, but he denied any involvement in the crime. Based on their investigation, police do not believe he was involved. However, Morris's brother Cliff believes the man knows who was responsible. Extra Notes: This case first aired on the December 5, 1990 episode. Results: Unresolved. In October of 1995, new ballistics testing was done with the gun believed to be used in the murder. Unfortunately, the new testing determined that the gun was not the murder weapon. As a result, investigators were back to square one. However, according to Morris's brother Cliff, there is a prime suspect in the case: Donald DuBray. DuBray was convicted of the brutal murder of Great Falls convenience store clerk Suzette Pritchard in 1986. Cliff contacted DuBray several times about the murder. According to Cliff, Dubray had very specific knowledge of the house, where shots were fired from, and where Morris' body was found, among other information. Dubray also told Cliff that he was at the house when the shooting occurred, but was not the triggerman. Investigators have confirmed that Dubray is a suspect in the case. However, he died in prison in 2016 while serving a life sentence for Suzette's murder. Police attempted to ask DuBray about the crime, but he never confessed to Morris' murder before his death. As a result, the case remains officially unsolved. Links: * Shooting scene * Crimestoppers - Crime of the Week * Memories of murders haunting, frustrating * Gun in delivery man's death found * Pizza murder case to be featured on television show * Police take second look at pizza killing * Sister of slain teen forgave killer before death in prison * Morris Davis Jr. - Parents of Murdered Children * Morris David Jr. - Billing Gazette * SitcomsOnline Discussion of Morris Davis (includes comments from Cliff) * Morris Davis at Find a Grave ---- Category:Montana Category:1985 Category:Murder Category:Robbery Category:Unresolved